Electric signaling apparatus.



Patented Dec. 3I, |901. F.- B. HERZOG &. S. S.. WHEELER.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

(Application led Jan. 25, 1886.)

. 2 sham-shut l.

(No I lodol.)

WITNESSES: VENT www XM/MM? 35i-5M. Mw o N0. 690,282. Patented Dec. 3|, |90l.

F. B. HEBZDG &'S. S. WHEELER.-

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

(Application mea aan; 25, lese.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(llo Model.)

UNiTED STAT- Eps PATENT }1()FFicE.

FELIX BENEDio'r vHERZOG AND soHUYLER svKAATs WHEELER, or NEWl YORK, N. Y.;SAlD WHEELER ASSIGN-OR'TO SAlDljlERZOG.

ELECTRIC SIGENALIVNG APPARATUS.

srncrnlcarronfermmg 'leale er Lettere Patentne. 690,282, dated December 31, 1901. 'i Appiieetion filed January 25,1886. serial' No.. 189.663. (No model.)

To zr/ZZ Awhom, it' rmay concern: n

- Beit known that we,'FELIX BENEDIOT HER- zoe 'and SCHUYLEE SKA-Airs WHEELEacitizens of the U-nited States, and resid ents of the cityof New York, in Ithe county of `NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve-ments in Electric Signaling Apparatus,j(0ase No.l 24,)'of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relatesv to apparatus for electrical signaling; and it consists in certain new devices, combinations,and arrangements of partsand specifically in arranging and combining oscillation and vibration determining or limiting apparatus and circuitclosing devices, as herein set forth., and also in certain other features and details lof coustruction and of arrangement, also set forth.

Several forms of apparatus in which part of ourinvention is embodied are shown'inv ing-station; and Fig. 2 is a side view, with,

the addition of anyoperating-knob on the spindle. Fig. 3 shows how our invention may be applied to a closed-circuit system.

It also shows various additions to the form of Fig. 1. f e

Referring to Figs. l and 2, A represents a magnet to attract armature B, which terminates in a forked lever-arm C. This acts as an escapement for the ratchet wheel G, mounted loosely upon a suitable arbor, to which it is indirectly attached by engagement of the pawl T (fixed to it) with the star-wheel R, which is rigidly fastened to the arbor. The wheel G may be considered as performing the functions both of a motor-wheel and of a circuit controlling wheel. Arranged upon its face are the spots J J, which pass under the contact-maker K as the wheel revolves. tact-point coperating with another contact mounted upon the fixed spring-contact S and coperatin g with it in the manner well known ment.

The forked lever C bears a conin automatic rheolomes ory vibrating bells. The contact-point mentioned as'being on the -forked lever or escapem'ent-anchor C is not specifically shown, but is of course so placed on and insulated from the fork (if this is of metal) as to short-circuit the magnet` in a manner described hereinafter only when the anchor is attracted, or the same result is ob- I tained if the fork is insulated from the wheel at the points of contact. This insulation may be arranged invarious ways well known in the art-as, for instance, by having the points of the anchor made of bone or rubber. The spring P when turned carries with it the arbor W when permitted to do so by the forked vlever-escapement C, which is normally held by the retractile spring so as to lock the wheel G, and thus the arbor, and only permits this to turn or. advance a step'at each vibration, the rate of which vibration'being determined by the properly-adjustable pendulum F. f

lThe mode of operation is as follows: As Ythe arbor is turned a full revolution by the person desiring to send a signal (by means of a suit-t able crank or knob, not shown) and so energizes the spring P, the Wheel Gy does not move with it, as it is locked by the lever-escape- The apparatus remains' in this condition, ready to transmitits signal, until it is released or caused to operate from the receiving-station, which may be done by changing the condition of the circuit so as to cause the magnet A to operate. As soon as this is done the magnet attracts the armature `until it reaches the contact-point S, whereupon it becomes short-circuited and the armature is retracted, and at cach vibration the wheel Gis enabled to advance one step. During these steps whenever a space J passes under the contact-brush a break ismade in the circuit, which is notedA atv the receiving-station by means ofsuitable mechanism. One form of this is shown at bottom of Fig. 2 as consisting of a high-resistance back-stroke bell -in series with a battery and key. When the key is depressed, the currentwill drawthe bell-hammer to the magnets and at the transmitter will cause the oscillation of the armature by the intermittent shunting in and out of the magnet at the contact S r*and by means roo ot' this oscillation forming an escapemen-t, which DGDmi-ts the wheel to rotate under stress of its motor-spring; but the receiverbell is not affected by the oscillations, as it is adjusted so that its armature will remain attracted during the decrease in currentr due to the shunting in of the transmitter-magnet; but it Will respond to the total breaks inthe current caused vwhenever a spot J passes under brush K. The oscillations of the' transmitter cause the Wheel to revolve at a fairlyuniform rate, and hence the pause between the'two series of spots will be clearly distinguishable to the ear of the operator,'or will show on a recording-register, if such be used at central.

The spots lJ which produce the breaks are arranged iu groups characteristic ol the particular box of the system. The receivingoperator is made aware that the entire signal has been transmitted by the fact that a long or linal pause succeeds, the last impulse of signal-boxes belonging to a district-telegraph system. These boxes are constructed to send a signal characteristic of each box, and in addition thereto variable signals to indicate various things-eas, for example, what is wanted at lstation represented by a number correspending to the fixed number sent by the box. I he magnet arbor, contact-maker, motor, spring, and circuits are generally the same as shown'in Fig. l. Here, however, the act of turning the arbor causes the wheel G to turn and the spaces J J, &C.,to pass under the contact-brush during the operation. The system and apparatus shown differ also from that of Fig,'1`in that they may be used so as to opcrate upon a closed circuit. As described hereinafter, the normal position is such that the magnet is cut out, and hence a closed currentf'mdy be kept continually in line, and the system will start into operation at the first break caused by the act of starting the mechanism of one of the boxes, as hereinafter described. 'For many purposes iit is preferable to use apparatus such as shown in pending application of F. Benedict Herzog filed September 29, 1884 by which at the iiirst break which occurs -the circ-uit is automatically broken at the receiving-station and remains so broken until closed by the operator there; butv the apparatus is equally applicable to the ordinary closed-circuit district-telegraph system, in which case the invention maybe said to operate as an escapement which will be very simple, cheap, 'aud reliableA and which serves at the same time for a respond or return signal, as will be hereinafter pointed out.

The mode of operation is as follows: The Weight Qat end of fork. serves to keep the lever mechanical-ly at rest against the contact S,` and -it will thus short-circuit and cut out themagnet,aud thus lessen the resistance in line. In addition to this the tension of the spring P causes the projection L on the wheel Gr to bear upon the point Y, thus forcing the arm B asl far to the left as possible until Q bears upon the wheel G. In setting the instrument the operatorturns the arbor by means of suitable crank or arm as far as the desired indication upenthe dial, if necessary turning Aaside-the usual limiting-step `F for the purpose. yThe first indication upon the dial is so placed as to require him to turn the indicating-arm atleast far enough to bring the groups representing the .characteristic signal under con-tact K when the instrument runs down. -The thrust of the slope of the teeth of the wheel Gvagaiust the bevel edge of Q moves this so as `to break the circuit at S and makes a new circuit through the magnet, thus energizing this, so as to attract the armature and again close the circuit at S, thus forming a vibrator, substantially as shown in the forms of apparatus before described. Each vibration permits the wheel G to make one step, and thus in time bring under the contact-brush K all of the spaces upon its face. As shown, the shunt and not the main circuit is broken at each vibration, and so there will be no indications upon the receiving apparatus except when the spaces pass under the contact-brush. As shown in the drawings, this will occur first at the group of four spaces, then at the group of two, and then when thesingle space passes, thus giving the signal 4 21, indicating that box No. 2l Wants signal 4.

In the form described the main circuit is broken as the Yapparatus is set to the proper signal; but, if desired, this can be avoided, as follows: At the end D D of the fork the shifting pawl C is pivoted so as to havea motion, as shown. As the Wheel is turned when the instrument is set the pawl will take position shown, the` eiect of which is that whenever contact-brush is over the space the thrust of the teeth of the wheel upon the side of the pawl causes this to move the fork-toV the left, and thus to close the circuit at S. As the Wheel is turned farther the point of the, pawl flies into the lowest part of the notch, thus permitting enough movement of the arm B to break the circuit again at S; but as the spaces are so arranged with relation to the notches and' their coperatin g space that this occurs at the same time when contact K isi IOO IIO

on the middle and not on the spaces the circuit will not be broken. It' desired, the adiustment can be made so that not even a short circuit will be broken'at setting; butthis is not necessary in general. As soon as the crank is released, when the apparatus is properly set, the tension of the spring P turns the wheel until it is obstructed by the point of the pawl C falling into the, notch of the tooth, and thus the wheel G, moving upon the xed center, pushes the pawl so that it turns upon its pivot as far as it can until it is stopped by the pin E and then takes the position and shape which, cooperating with Q at the other end of the lever and with vthe alternating attraction and retraction of B, forms the reciprocating escapement for the wheel G. The point H upon arm B serves both as an alarm and as a return signal, enabling the operator to discover if the line is in use before he begins to signal and also' to discover after his signal has been transmitted if it has been properly received. If this pin H is grasped by the operator as it projects from the box, he can push it to the right, and thus cause the current to traverse the magnet, and then it the line is being used at the time he will feel the effect on the magnet of the make and break. In the same Way if he has transmitted his signal he can feel any signal that may be given by the central operator to indicate the proper reception of the signal. This answering-signal given bythe operator may be either fixed or arbitraryl or varying, according to the want transmitted, as well as according to the box from which it is transmitted.

The receiving-office apparatus, as shown in Fig. 2, will answer for an open-circuit system With the form just described, andv if it be desired to operate the transmitter on a closedcircuit system (as just described) the same apparatus serves, provided the keyv is kept closed, and then the answer-back signal may be given by breaking the circuit at the key the desired number of times in proper sequence and duration.

What we claim is- 1. The combination substantially as described in a variable-signal transmitter of a step-by-step Wheel, means for controlling the signal according to the position of the wheel, a rheotome operated by the driving devices, and a motor controlled by the rheotome.

2. Atransmittereomprisingarheotomeand a step-by-step escapement, a motor-spring, and a magnet, all cooperating to rotate the wheel as a result of the operation of the rheotome, and circuit-controlling elements coperating withl the Wheel to produce predeter-v mined signals. y

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 22d day of January, A. D. 1886.

F. BENEDlG'l HERZOG. SCHUYLER SKAATS WHEELER.

iVitnesses:

FRANCIS B. CRocKER, PHILIP HERZOG. 

